The present invention relates to detection systems in general and, more specifically, relates to a fire emergency detection system wherein a number of diverse detectors are employed to signal a fire emergency condition.
There have been countless approaches toward detecting smoke and fire in buildings and recent advances in technology have permitted conventional smoke detectors to be reduced in price by such an amount that they are prevelant throughout the country. Such smoke detectors typically sound an audible alarm to warn the occupants of the dwelling of a fire emergency condition.
Additionally, there have been developed several different approaches for use in large buildings and for industrial applications, which detect heat or smoke in order to signal an impending emergency condition. Generally, a large number of detection units are employed, one located in each room or hallway of the building. These detection units are connected to a central control panel which serves to indicate the exact location of the fire. Certain operating systems in the building, such as the elevator system or ventilation system, can also be controlled by the detection units. Typical of such systems is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,846 issued to Fegiel.
Such existing systems usually depend upon one specific type of detection approach, e.g., a radioactive element smoke detector. Nevertheless, there has been proposed a fire detector having a multi-mode input sensing system, wherein plural detectors of different types are used to detect a fire condition. This system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,220 issued to Deuth.